National News Roundup

As part of its "national civics lesson'' on the nation's basic
charter, the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution
has initiated a nationwide public-service advertising campaign to help
teach Americans about the document.

The six television and two newspaper advertisements, developed in
conjunction with the Advertising Council, will carry the message, "The
Constitution: The Words We Live By,'' and will feature such topics as
censorship, freedom of religion, and the 26th Amendment, which granted
the vote to 18-year-olds.

As part of the campaign, the commission has prepared educational
materials on the history and meaning of the Constitution, which are
available from The Constitution, Washington, D.C. 20503.

The Gannett Foundation has awarded $1.25 million in grants to
agencies in 12 states and Puerto Rico to improve efforts to make
literacy services more widely available.

The awards, announced late last month, are part of a two-year,
$2.25-million program called the Literacy Challenge, which is the
largest nongovernmental program aimed at coordinating literacy efforts
in the states, according to Brian Buchanan, a spokesman for the
foundation.

This year's recipients were chosen from among 75 applicants in 48
states and the District of Columbia, Mr. Buchanan said. The foundation
awarded more than the $1 million originally proposed because "we
received more excellent proposals than we expected,'' he added.

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